New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday New Yorkers affected by superstorm Sandy will be allowed to vote in Tuesday's U.S. election in any polling place by presenting an affidavit.

Cuomo said he was signing an executive order on Monday that will allow voters to cast ballots at voting stations other than the ones to which they are assigned. He said his order arose from concern that hundreds of thousands of New York residents could be effectively disenfranchised by the damage to many polling places caused by Sandy one week ago.

"This executive order I am signing today is an extraordinary step in that direction," Cuomo said in a news conference.